Large turnout at Mamata’s Behala rally

An overwhelming turnout of people in the Trinamool Congress rally led by the party supremo Mamata Banerjee from Thakurpukur Joka to Behala on Sunday has surpassed all the processions in the past one week in respect to the total footfall.

The rally has brought back the memories of those ahead of the 2011 Assembly elections in which lakh of common people came forward in support of the party and marched along with the party supremo.

The 7.5 km procession took around one and a half hours to reach its destination. Thousands of people had started gathering at Thakurpukur Joka before Banerjee reached the place and started marching towards Behala 14 number bus stand.

The area through which the rally passed on Sunday is under Behala Purba and Behala Paschim Assembly constituencies. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee is the candidate from Behala Purba and the State Education minister Partha Chatterjee is contesting from Behala Paschim.

The party supporters shouted slogans asking people to cast their votes in favour of the Trinamool Congress candidates. The workers were shouting slogans and many were found singing songs which were composed based on the development works that the Trinamool Congress government had undertaken in the past four and a half years.

Women were found blowing conch shells as soon as Banerjee reached the starting point of the rally. They continued blowing the conch shells till the rally ended. Malati Ghosh, a Trinamool Congress supporter, said: “Conch shells are usually blown when something holy takes place. Today we are blowing the shells to make people aware that there can be nothing good apart from bringing back our favourite Didi to power as she knows how to bring an overall development of a state.”

When thousands of people joined the rally and were marching through the Diamond Harbour Road ignoring all obstacles due to the ongoing work of the Metro railway project, many were waiting at Behala 14 number bus stand to congratulate Banerjee. The supporters were found waiting with bouquet of flowers which they had given to Banerjee after the rally ended. People of different ages starting from teenagers to elderly people were found participating in the rally. A septuagenarian, Abinash Burman said: “I am not a Trinamool Congress worker. But I decided to join the rally that was passing from my area because Mamata Banerjee is the only politician who worked for those who are really poor. I believe that the state will develop more if Trinamool Congress is once again voted to power.”